| ACDEG | African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance |
| ACERWC | African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child |
| ACHPR | African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Banjul) |
| ACIRC | African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises |
| ACLED | Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project |
| ACP | Africa, Caribbean, Pacific countries |
| AEC | African Economic Community |
| AfCHPR | African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Arusha) |
| AfCTA | African Continental Free Trade Area |
| AfDB | African Development Bank (Abidjan) |
| AFISMA | African-led International Support Mission to Mali |
| Afreximbank | African Export-Import Bank (Cairo) |
| Africa CDC | Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Addis Ababa) |
| AfSEM | African Single Electricity Market |
| AfSol | African Solutions to African Problems |
| AFTCOR | African Taskforce for Coronavirus Response |
| AGA | African Governance Architecture |
| AGA–YES | AGA–Youth Engagement Strategy |
| AGF | African Governance Facility |
| AGP | African Governance Platform |
| AIDS | acquired immunodeficiency syndrome |
| AMA | African Medicines Agency |
| AMISOM | AU Mission in Somalia |
| AMOT | African Ministers of Trade |
| AMSP | Africa Medical Supplies Platform |
| ANWIN | African Network for Women in Infrastructure |
| AOSTI | African Observatory in Science, Technology and Innovation |
| APF | (EU) African Peace Facility |
| APRM | African Peer Review Mechanism |
| APSA | African Peace and Security Architecture |
| AQIM | Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb |
| ARNS | African Regional Nutrition Strategy |
| ASEOWA | African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa |
| ASI | African Solidarity Initiative |
| ASF | African Standby Force |
| ASRIC | African Observatory in Science Technology and Innovation |
| ATO | African Trade Observatory |
| AU | African Union (Addis Ababa) |
| AUABC | AU Advisory Board on Corruption |
| AUC | AU Commission |
| AUCIL | African Union Commission on International Law |
| AUDA | African Union Development Agency–NEPAD |
| AUTSTG | AU Technical Support to The Gambia |
| AU CIEFFA | AU International Centre for Girls and Women Education in Africa |
| AU OYE | Office of the Youth Envoy |
| AU YVC | AU Youth Volunteers Corps |
| AWA | AIDS Watch Africa |
| A3 | the three African non-permanent UNSC members |
| BRI | Belt and Road Initiative |
| CAMH | Conference of Ministers of Health |
| CAR | Central African Republic |
| CEN-SAD | Community of Sahel-Saharan States (Tripoli) |
| CEO | chief executive officer |
| CESA 16–25 | Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2016–2025 |
| CEWS | Continental Early Warning System |
| CID | Council for Infrastructure Development |
| CODESRIA | Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (Dakar) |
| COMESA | Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Lusaka) |
| COVID-19 | coronavirus disease |
| CPLP | Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Lisbon) |
| CSOs | civil society organisations |
| CSSDCA | Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa |
| C10 | committee of ten ministers of finance |
| C10 | ministerial group of 10 EST champions |
| DDR | disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration |
| DIRCO | Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Pretoria) |
| DPA | Department of Political Affairs |
| DRC | Democratic Republic of Congo |
| DREA | Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture |
| DSA | Department of Social Affairs |
| DSSI | Debt Service Suspension Initiative |
| DTS | Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030) |
| EAC | East African Community (Arusha) |
| EAP | Encyclopaedia Africana Project |
| ECCAS | Economic Community of Central African States (Libreville) |
| ECOSOCC | Economic, Social and Cultural Council |
| ECOWAS | Economic Community of West African States (Abuja) |
| EIDHR | European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights |
| EPA | Economic Partnership Agreement |
| EST | education, science, and technology |
| EU | European Union (Brussels) |
| EUTM | EU Training Mission in Mali |
| EU ITF | EU Infrastructure Trust Fund for Africa |
| EU PSC | EU Political and Security Committee |
| FOCAC | Forum for China-Africa Cooperation |
| FGS | Federal Government of Somalia |
| FMS | (Somalia) Federal Member States |
| FTA | Free Trade Area |
| FY | financial year |
| F15 | Fifteen Ministers of Finance |
| GBV | gender-based violence |
| GDP | gross domestic product |
| GERD | Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam |
| GNWP | Global Network of Women Peace Builders |
| GIZ | German development agency GIZ (Eschborn, Germany) |
| G5 | G5 Sahel Joint Force |
| G6 | Group of Six (re AfCFTA) |
| G7 | Group of Seven (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the European Union) |
| G8 | Group of 8 (G7, plus Russian Federation) |
| G20 | Group of Twenty |
| HIV | human immunodeficiency viruses |
| HSGIC | (NEPAD) Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee |
| HSGOC | (NEPAD) Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee |
| IAIDA | Institutional Architecture for Infrastructure Development in Africa |
| ICA | Integrated Corridor Approach |
| ICJ | International Court of Justice (The Hague) |
| ICT | information and communication technologies |
| IDEA | International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (Stockholm) |
| IGAD | Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Djibouti) |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund (Washington DC) |
| IPED | Pan-African Institute for Education for Development (Abidjan) |
| IPRs | intellectual property rights |
| IPSS | Institute for Peace and Security Studies (Addis Ababa) |
| ISCAP | Islamic State Central Africa Province |
| ISS | Institute for Security Studies (Pretoria) |
| ISWAP | Islamic State West Africa Province |
| JAES | Joint Africa–EU Strategy |
| JPA | Joint Programme Agreement |
| LCBC | Lake Chad Basin Commission (N’Djamena) |
| LDCs | Least Developed Countries |
| LGBTQIA+ | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexuality plus |
| LPDF | Libyan Political Dialogue Forum |
| MAP | Millennium Africa Renaissance Programme |
| MENA | Middle East and North Africa |
| MINUSMA | UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali |
| MNJTF | Multinational Joint Task Force (N’Djamena) |
| MNLA | National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad |
| MONUSCO | UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo |
| MOUACA | AU Military Observers Mission to the CAR |
| MUJAO | Mouvement pour l’unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l’Ouest |
| MYCM | Mid-Year Coordination Meeting |
| NAI | New African Initiative |
| NAP | National Action Plan |
| NEPAD | New Partnership for Africa’s Development |
| NGOs | non-governmental organisations |
| NHRIs | National Human Rights Institutions |
| NPCA | NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency |
| NPoA | National Programme of Action |
| OAU | Organisation of African Unity (Addis Ababa) |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Paris) |
| PAP | Pan-African Parliament (Midrand, South Africa) |
| PAPR-CAR | Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in the CAR |
| PAPS | Political Affairs, Peace and Security |
| PAU | Pan-African University (Yaoundé) |
| PCRD | Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development |
| PICI | Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative |
| PIDA | Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa |
| PMPA | Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa |
| PRC | Permanent Representatives Committee |
| PSC | Peace and Security Council |
| PSD | Peace and Security Department |
| PSHMs | public health and social measures |
| PSOs | Peace Support Operations |
| RECs | Regional Economic Communities |
| RHOs | Regional Health Organisations |
| RMs | Regional Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution |
| RSS | Regional Stabilisation Strategy |
| R&D | research and development |
| SACU | Southern African Customs Union (Windhoek) |
| SADC | Southern African Development Community (Gaborone) |
| SAIIA | South African Institute of International Affairs (Johannesburg) |
| SARS-CoV-2 | severe acute respiratory syndrome – coronavirus |
| SDGs | Sustainable Development Goals |
| SDGEA | Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa |
| SIDA | Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Stockholm) |
| SNA | Somali National Army |
| SRSG | Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General |
| STISA 2024 | Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa |
| STCs | specialised technical committees |
| STC-EST | STC on Education, Science and Technology |
| STC-HPDC | STC on Health, Population and Drug Control |
| STC-ICT | STC on Communication and Information Communications Technology |
| STC-TIIIET | STC on Transport, Intercontinental and Interregional Infrastructures, Energy and Tourism |
| STDs | sexually transmitted diseases |
| STG | Silencing the Guns |
| STP | Somalia Transition Plan |
| TB | tuberculosis |
| TFTA | Tripartite Free Trade Area |
| TGONU | Transitional Government of National Unity |
| TPLF | Tigray People Liberation Front |
| TRIPS | Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights |
| TVET | Continental Strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training |
| UCG | unconstitutional change(s) of government |
| UMA | Arab Maghreb Union (Rabat) |
| UN | United Nations (New York) |
| UNAIDS | Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (Geneva) |
| UNAMID | AU–UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur |
| UNCTAD | UN Conference on Trade and Development (Geneva) |
| UNECA | UN Commission for Africa (Addis Ababa) |
| UNESCO | UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Paris) |
| UNICEF | UN Children’s Emergency Fund (New York) |
| UNOAU | UN Office at the African Union (Addis Ababa) |
| ONOWAS | UN Office for West African and the Sahel (Dakar) |
| UNSC | UN Security Council (New York) |
| UNSG | UN Secretary-General |
| UNSCR | UNSC Resolution |
| WAHO | West African Health Organisation (Brazzaville) |
| WGDD | (AU) Women and Gender Development Directorate |
| WHO | World Health Organisation (Geneva) |
| WHO ROA | WHO Regional Office for Africa (Bobo-Dioulasso) |
| WPS | Woman, Peace and Security |
| WTO | World Trade Organisation (Geneva) |
| YPS | Youth, Peace and Security |